Spirited Away after the Adventure: One shot
by cat carrharr
Summary: It has been a decade after Chihiro left the Spirit World. She won't admit it, even to herself, but she misses the friends she made, especially Haku. Left with a blank future and sick father, Chihiro wonders morosely if Haku would ever keep his promise. Read on to find out if he does.


Chihiro Ogino walked home from school on a sunny, golden Tuesday afternoon. The sun was burning brightly against an azure blue sky, white clouds drifting lazily in haphazard lines, black crows dotting the open sky. While this morning the trees had been bare and naked, there were now full blown pink cherry blossoms- Japanese "sakura"- covering the trees in a blaze of pinkish splendour. The trees formed a sort of archway, tunnelling into a vast unknown.

Chihiro stopped walking long enough to appreciate the vague sweet smell of the blossoms and admire their glowing hue. Petals drifted lazily down in pendulums from the flowers. A couple landed in Chihiro's brown hair.

She decided to rest on a park bench for a few minutes. She was in her last year of high school and it was time for her and her classmates to decide what to do when they graduated. Some would be going on to university, while others would go to technical college. Some had family businesses to run, others were leaving Japan forever, pursuing careers in different countries. There were only a few, like her, who still had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives. _What do I want to do, _Chihiro mouthed to herself silently. She'd been asking the same question to herself for the past month. When Chihiro and her parents had gone through the tunnel back to the human world, it hadn't been long when her father fell ill with cancer. He was in his last stages—and he was dying. Chihiro furiously blinked a few tears away. She wondered if she ought to go to university and become a doctor? Wearily, she began braiding her hair—something she did when she wanted to think.

She'd worn the same long brown ponytail for years, never daring to take off the glinting, shimmering, purple hairband Zeniba had given her long ago. She would take it off to wash her hair, hurriedly, and dry her hair as quickly as possible, rubbing her hair dry with her towel furiously, then put it back on. She knew she was probably being overly cautious but every time the hairband came off, it seemingly took a bit of her soul with her. As the hot scalding water would wash her body and the vanilla scented suds fill the air, she could feel her memories of the Spirit World slipping away- and it would seem like it was just a dream more and more, until- Then she would finger the impossibly soft purple fabric in her fingers and they would all come back. Zeniba, No Face, Boh, Lin, Kamaji the Boiler man, all the friends she'd made. Even Yubaba, she missed to a certain extent. And Haku.

Sometimes, she still dreamed about Haku.. Sometimes, she could still feel his reassuring arm around her trembling shoulders, his trustful green eyes looking so kindly at her, and she could just barely remember what his voice sounded like as it told her to be strong, be brave. She could just barely remember its many variations- the quiet of it in moments of sadness when she'd been overwhelmed by the suddenness of everything and wept uncontrollably- the wonder of it when she'd helped him remember his name, and his identity.

Occasionally, she would wake up, having dreamt of Haku saving her from drowning. She could feel the scales of his dragon body, as she gripped his horns tightly, and they re-surfaced together- then Chihiro would wake up, gasping and heaving for air.

Very rarely, not even to herself, she would admit she missed him. She missed Granny Zeniba and No Face and all her friends, but there was a special place in her heart for Haku.

As she walked home from school, more cherry blossom petals drifted down and her thoughts went inexplicably to Haku. She wondered what he'd done after regaining his identity. Did he go back to the Bathhouse and continue his work for Yubaba? Or quit? She remembered how his river had been covered by buildings and apartment complexes. The thought made her sad. The building would provide home for a hundred people but no one would think of the lonely river spirit who would wander aimlessly about, roaming the world in a lost daze for centuries.

Chihiro wondered if Haku would keep his promise.

_"Will I see you again?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Promise?" _

_"Promise. Now go, and don't turn back."_

She could still remember the fleeting pressure of his hand in her's… and then gone. Kids ran past her, laughing and dancing, rejoicing the end of school and handwork and the beginning of play, but Chihiro remained there for another while, quietly reflecting, as cherry blossom petals floated down.

At around nightfall, Chihiro quietly slipped out of her house, slipping into her old sneakers and quietly locked the backdoor behind her. She ran down the jutting, winding path to the forest below. The highway above was quiet now, only the occasional car swishing past. The trees cast dark shadows over the ground, looming over her. Everything was dark- it was the witching hour. The only source of light was the moon, a luminescent halo of guidance. Chihiro looked up at it, squinting. When had she last seen such a full moon? Certainly not since she first moved her house when she was 10 years old.

She always left home at nightfall, when she was sure her parents were sleeping, to sit by the burbling steam near the entrance to the tunnel of the Spirit World. She wasn't sure why- for some reason, sitting there in the dark, listening to the rushing stream, and the quiet whistling of the wind, calmed her down. There, she remembered her experiences in the Spirit World perfectly. She found herself laughing, crying, and smiling all at once, remembering how scared she'd been at first and the havoc No Face had wrecked on the Bath house as a monster consumed with greed. She would also think about other things—namely, coming to terms with her father's inevitable death.

She sat there for a while longer, breathing in the fresh air and trying to ignore the fact that in fact, she was very sad, deep down. She missed her friends in the Spirit World and she often wished she could go back. Then maybe she wouldn't have to go through this heartache.

And would Haku ever keep his promise…?

"Chihiro," said a quiet voice from behind her.

Chihiro gasped out loud and whirled around. She widened her eyes, staring into the darkness. Her heart pounded wildly against her chest.

Gradually, out of the mist stepped out a young man. He was dressed in long flowing green robes of shimmering, changing colours. They reminded her of the water, eternal and swift. His long black hair was stick straight and hung down his back. By his side was a rapier, or a sword. Chihiro wouldn't have recognized him, if it weren't for his eyes. They were still the same jade green they'd always been, piercing yet soft.

"Haku," she breathed. Shakingly, she stood up from where she was sitting, not daring to believe it. She remembered him as a gentle boy, who was her first friend in the Spirit World and had saved her life. But this was a beautiful, powerful spirit who stood in front of her now. She could feel power radiating off of him.

His face was emotionless at first but it broke into a small smile when she said his name. "You remember me."

Chihiro somehow found her voice. "Of course," she said, her voice wavering. "I could never forget you. I can't believe you remembered me. You… you kept your promise, Haku. Thank you.." To her extreme embarrassment, she realized she was crying. Tears streamed down her face; she used her sleeve to wipe them away.

She looked up, startled, at the touch of a hand on her face. Haku's emerald green eyes were inches from her own. "I always keep my promises, Chihiro. I'm sorry it took so long. When you gave me back my name, I immediately thought of quitting my job as Yubaba's apprentice and going to find my river. But it wasn't easy. Yubaba was furious. She tried to get me to stay, saying my contract forbids it. But the contract is void once you remember your name; after all, Yubaba controls you by taking your identity. But you helped me find mine, Chihiro. I owe you everything."

"You don't owe me anything," Chihiro said quietly. "You saved my life, after all."

"And you saved mine too," Haku said, solemnly.

Chihiro looked up, smiling. After years of feeling like an empty shell and feeling like something was missing in her life, everything felt right.

For the whole night, Haku told her what had happened after she left the Spirit World. "Well, to start with, I confronted Yubaba about stealing my identity and making me do things I'm still very ashamed of until this day…"

"Like stealing Zeniba's gold seal?" Chihiro asked tentatively.

Haku nodded, lowering his eyes. "That was in front of a whole crowd of employees who had gathered to watch. They'd never seen me, or anyone for that matter, stand up to Yubaba. You can imagine, it made Yubaba furious. Here she was, being accused of fraud and trickery in front of hundreds of people under her power. But I wasn't scared. When I remembered I was the Kohaku Spirit, I regained a lot of power I used to have. My powers rivalled those of Yubaba- in a duel, I could have won easily. But Yubaba probably knew that, because she let me go without a struggle. She ripped up my contract. Afterwards, I left. I said goodbye to a few people, like Kamaji and Lin, before leaving to find my river."

Chihiro listened intently on.

"I searched everywhere, Chihiro. It'd been thousands of years after all, and even though I'd regained many of my powers, I couldn't save my memories. I tried to remember where it was—I couldn't. So I searched wildly about. I just found it two days ago."

Chihiro's eyes widened. "And? Is it still filled in with buildings?"

Haku nodded defeatedly. "Even worse. It's—Chihiro, it's _polluted. _There used to be sea creatures living in it—they're all dead now. And the water is unclean, and poisonous. They're using it as a sewer. I left a beautiful, natural river thousands of years ago and I come back to a waste of chemicals and toxins." It wasn't difficult to discern the bitterness in Haku's voice.

Chihiro could feel her chest tighten. She struggled not to cry again. She wanted to comfort Haku, but she didn't know how. He had lost his home—permanently it seemed. She wanted to _do something, _but she didn't have a clue how to help.

Haku breathed in deeply and continued. "Even though I've lost my home, I know the other spirits in Yubaba's care must have homes that might still be out there. So I'm going back. If they want to continue working for Yubaba, fine. But I think all spirits deserve a chance to decide what they want for themselves."

Both were silent for a while. During this time, the darkness had started fading to a lighter gray. Now, the world was shrouded in morning mist. It was that ethereal moment in time when it seemed as if the whole world was slumbering, dreaming beautiful dreams. For the moment being, everyone, especially the wicked, was innocent, for everyone is a child when they sleep—vulnerable and hopeful and undisturbed. In the distance, out of the horizions of the mountains, a single ray of sunlight slowly crept out, hesitant to disturb the sleeping town.

Haku suddenly stood up. "I have to go," he said urgently, "I have to be gone by sunrise—I'm not suppose to be here in this form. But Chihiro…"

Chihiro was wiping unwelcome tears on her sleeve again. She didn't want Haku to leave. Impulsively, she gripped his hands in hers tightly. "Is this it? The last time? Or will you come to see me often?"

Haku looked at her seriously. "I can't guarantee we will see each other again. But I'll try my best."

Chihiro was desperate. "Then… will you let me come with you to the Spirit World someday again?"

Haku smiled gently. "That would be too dangerous for you, Chihiro. I can't let you get into danger."

Then out of his long flowing robes, he pulled out of a small greyish green sphere of sorts. It looked familiar—where had Chihiro seen it before-?

"Medicine from the river spirit!" she cried. She remembered now—it was the medicine the polluted river spirit had given her as a child—it was the same medicine that had cured No Face of his monstrosity.

Haku smiled. "You remember so well. Now listen, go home, and give this to your father. But you have to brew it into a soup first, because an average human can't swallow this raw. It will cure him."

Chihiro didn't know how to respond. "Thank you," she managed to mumble, feeling both joy and sadness all at once. Haku pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Good bye," he said.

Chihiro couldn't open her eyes for a few seconds, still feeling the pressure of his kiss. When she opened her eyes, she could see in the pale blue sky, the faint silhouette of a dragon.


End file.
